Old Pig sat back down and sighed, "Back then, we were still in Master Kun's slave carriage. Actually, the moment you boarded, Master Mang, I noticed you. You were noticeably cleaner than everyone else."

"Not like someone from the post-apocalypse."

"More like someone from before it all happened."

"Once in the carriage, you took over that piece of straw mat, and three days later, you swiftly and decisively killed a man who dared to provoke you."

"That's when I realized you weren't an ordinary person, Master Mang."

"In those days, everyone in the slave carriage had already succumbed to despair and accepted that state of life, but you, Master Mang, were like a burning flame, incredibly conspicuous.

"..."

Chen Mang listened quietly to Old Pig's recount, smiling without speaking. After Old Pig finished, Chen Mang softly said, "Old Pig, you were the first to follow me, right?"

"Yes."

"I've seen the hard work you've done over this period. Whether it's in terms of merit or seniority, Old Pig, you're no less than anyone else."

"Everyone has a different role."

"Follow me, don't worry."

In the dimly lit compartment.

Chen Mang didn't dwell on this topic any longer; instead, he chatted with Old Pig about things before the apocalypse. About thirty minutes later, Chen Mang stood up, patted Old Pig's shoulder, waved his hand, and walked out of the compartment.

Old Pig stood in place, watching Master Mang's departing figure, his eyes slightly reddening. He often handled others' thoughts, so he naturally knew that Master Mang came specifically to address his state of mind, though he hadn't expected it.

As soon as a ripple arose in his heart, Master Mang keenly observed it and was willing to make a special trip for him.

In fact, he understood the reasoning that Master Mang spoke of.

Everyone has a different role.

However, humans are emotional creatures. Often, everyone understands the reasoning, but in doing, they inevitably get influenced by their emotions. But now, he didn't have any such emotions. Master Mang was right; whether it was seniority or merit, he was not lacking, so why worry unnecessarily?

...

Inside the train compartment.

"The train is too big, which isn't good. Going back and forth is quite troublesome."

Chen Mang sat on the chair, looking at the lines of information flashing on the screen.

"Train Captain."

Ai's voice echoed in the train compartment: "You always asked me to keep an eye on Old Pig because you were worried he'd become dissatisfied."

"No."

Chen Mang shook his head, "Generally speaking, those who flatter the higher-ups tend to oppress the lower-downs. Old Pig's behavior is a habit developed from his pre-apocalypse work experience. Logically, this type of person often bullies those below them to regain the feeling of flattering superiors through others, without exception."

"This is a psychological compensation mechanism."

"Do you know which group of people makes up a large part of the women who seek out male escorts?"

"It's the call girls."

"Those who frequent nightclubs and business KTVs."

"These girls smile every day serving men, but they have grievances in their hearts. They regain the feeling of being served by seeking male escorts, similar to how the maids of ancient eunuchs often had the most tragic fate. It's essentially the same idea, people compensate themselves."

"But since Fixed Star developed to now, Old Pig has almost never bullied the people below."

"Which means, Old Pig's flattery isn't because of submission to power. If it were because of submission to power, he would definitely be extremely arrogant towards those below because he's in a high position."

"Old Pig's flattery is genuinely because he thinks I'm formidable, or rather, he flatters not the power, but me."

"Only under such circumstances, does flattery not lead to oppression of those below."

"Uh..."

Ai's voice seemed stuck in the train compartment speakers, after a while, puzzledly saying, "Train Captain, it sounds like you're complementing yourself in a roundabout way..."

"This is called understanding people."

Chen Mang shook his head, "That's the aspect I most respect about Old Pig. He's worked in power structures for so long, yet after the apocalypse hit, he was able to immediately jump out of the mindset of power structures, which is really rare. If he had placed himself in the position of the second in command of the train and started to enjoy the power, he wouldn't have gone far."

"This is the post-apocalypse, not before it. As long as you don't make a big mistake, you can stay as you are."

"If I don't kill him, he wouldn't last long either."

"Those below would have many complaints about him, and the train might even fracture because of it."

"But he positioned himself as my steward. When I first saw Old Pig in Master Kun's slave carriage, he seemed like he'd been a slave for a long time, you couldn't tell he used to be a Deputy Train Captain at all. He's really incredible at putting himself in the most suitable position at the right time."

"And he never oversteps."

"In the entire compartment, there's no one more suitable for Deputy Train Captain than him."

"Uh... since Old Pig is as amazing as you say, Train Captain, why did you go and work on his mindset?"

"He's human, not a god. As long as he's human, he'll have emotions."

Chen Mang shook his head and didn't speak on the subject any further: "What was the situation with that train just now, with two engine cars?"

On the screen, a three-dimensional layout of the "Grimacing" train appeared.

"In addition to the first engine car, the third train compartment is also an engine car, but it's disguised as a compartment."

"This type of engine can't provide much power, but it allows the Train Captain to quickly move to the third compartment before the first engine car is destroyed, thereby continuing to control the train."

"This person is quite resourceful."

Chen Mang nodded. This train was one of the most troublesome he had encountered, yet it wasn't troublesome to the point of being unmanageable, just more of a hassle to deal with.

He then looked towards the train members; Mondo had already set off.

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